The present invention relates to mechanical power transmissions, and more particularly, to mechanical conversion of rotary motion.
In the field of power transmission it is often useful to combine a primary power source, such as an electric motor, with a speed converter unit, to deliver the required torque at the desired speed. It is particularly useful to incorporate at least one stage of speed reduction within the housing of the drive source. These are typically referred to as gear motors or reducer motors. Various configurations of gears are used, including assemblies of planetary gears, helical gears, etc.
One advantage of having a drive source with integrated speed conversion is that an entire motor/converter assembly can be optimized for its intended use. Still any design is favored that can result in lower parts count in a compact and lighter-weight package.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ultra-compact and light-weight multi-stage speed converter.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ultra-compact and light-weight speed converter with an integral motorized source and having the benefit of multiple stages of speed conversion.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide optimized load sharing among the elements that transmit the rotary motive force in a motorized speed converter.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved rotary actuator which is simplified in nature but is robust in transmission capability.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a precision rotary actuator having a multiple-stage speed converter which requires few moving parts and yet is easy to use and has high positioning accuracy.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a precision rotary actuator having an auto braking feature.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a precision rotary actuator in two stages with reduced parts and in a small package.